7 Types of Reading Comprehension Questions asked in CAT exam

By Gaurav Macwan

Sep 27, 2018 15:57 IST

7 Types of Reading Comprehension Questions asked in CAT exam

Reading Comprehension, a part of VARC section in CAT exam, is termed as the ‘make or break’ section for CAT candidates. A total of 17 Reading Comprehension questions are asked in the CAT exam. The key to build a winning strategy for the RC section lies in understanding the different types of Reading Comprehension questions asked in the CAT Exam. To help you out, we have discussed all the different types of CAT RC questions below. These will help you prepare well for the RC section and improve your sectional and overall CAT percentile.

RC Questions Based on the Central Theme

The most common type of RC questions are the one in which candidates have to identify the central theme or the message of the RC paragraph provided in the question paper.

Example of Central Theme Based Questions

The structure of the passage can be best described by-

The main point that the passage implies is-

What is the central idea of the passage?

Which of the options properly implies the gist of the passage?

What is the main purpose of the given passage?

How to solve Central Theme Based Questions?

The best way to answer RC questions that are based on the central theme is by reading the passage carefully. You can also take help of answer choices to pick the correct option. However, it is advised to be wary of answer choices that are general and less specific. The idea is to pick the option which best describes the central theme of the given passage.

Another type of questions which regularly feature in CAT exam paper is the Vocabulary-based questions. Mostly these questions are based on synonyms and antonyms and therefore are relatively easy to answer.

Example of Vocabulary Based Questions:

The antonym of the word “___” is?

What does the word “___” mean?

Which word means the same as “___”?

How to solve Vocabulary Based Questions?

The only way to answer the Vocabulary-Based Questions correctly is by building a strong vocabulary base. But, candidates must keep in mind that merely memorizing meaning of the words won’t help you in CAT exam. You need to understand the contextual meaning and usage of words in order to answer these questions correctly.

One of the toughest types of RC questions that you will encounter in CAT exam is the ones based on Inference.

Examples of Inference Based Questions

What can be inferred from the sentence- “____”?

It can be inferred from the passage that-

What does the sentence “____” imply?

What does the author mean by the line “____”?

How to solve Inference Based Questions?

In order to attempt such questions, you need to analyse and understand the provided passage. Inference based questions require you to identify the sources of inference and understand the context and thought process provided in the paragraph. You will be able to answer the questions accurately, provided you are able to pick upon the central theme and decode the logic behind it.

RC Questions Based on Titles

The title-based questions are the ones in which you have to pick the most appropriate title for the given passage.

Examples of Title Based RC Questions:

The most apt title for the passage is-

The title of the passage can be perfectly represented by-

Which of the following is the most suitable title for the passage?

How to Solve Title Based Questions?

To solve the title-based Reading Comprehension questions, candidates have to identify the key subject accurately along with the context of the passage. The answer options provided for such questions are often tricky and difficult to decode. Therefore, it is important to know the common idioms and phrases that are generally used in RC passages to solve the Title based questions.

RC Questions that assess Tone

Such type of RC questions requires candidates to identify the tone of the author in the given passage.

Example of Tone Based RC Questions

The tone of the author is best described by-

What attitude of the author can be inferred from the following sentence?

How to attempt Tone Based RC Questions?

The key to solving these Reading Comprehension Questions lie in understanding the nature of the passage. Secondly, you also need to understand the type of sentiments that author is trying to convey i.e. negative, neutral or positive. Once you have analysed both these aspects, picking the right answer option that best represent the nature and sentiments of the author becomes easy.

The Reading Comprehension Section in CAT 2018 also includes a few Fact based questions in which candidates have to identify the correct and incorrect facts from the passage.

Example of Tone Based RC Questions

According to the passage, which of the following statement is correct?

Which of the following sentence include incorrect facts?

According to the author, what does the sentence “___” mean?

According to the passage, what is “___”?

How to solve Factual RC Questions?

To solve these questions, it is important to read the entire passage properly and keep the key facts in mind. This way, one can easily relate a particular question to the passage and answer it easily. Sometimes, logical or inferential facts are also asked in this type.

Questions Based on Paragraph and Structure

Another type of RC question that you may encounter in a CAT paper will be Paragraph & Structure type questions. In such questions, candidates will have to analyse the intuitive sense and logical reasonbehind the paragraph.

Example of Paragraph Structure Based RC Questions

The second paragraph criticizes-

The third paragraph describes-

The organization of the passage can be best described as-

How to answer Paragraph Structure Based RC Questions?

In order to answer such questions, candidates need to comprehend each passage and understand the key idea behind it. During the comprehension exercise, you can pay attention to certain key keywords and phrases like “ironically”, although”, “but”, etc. These play a critical role in conveying the real meaning of the passage.

So, these were the different types of Reading Comprehension Questions that you may comr across in the CAT exam paper. The tips given for each type of RC question will help you solve them smoothly. For more such informative tips and tricks for CAT exam, please visit www.jagranjosh.com.

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